The Lakers have taken their time to hire a new head coach after firing Frank Vogel at the end of the 2021-22 NBA season. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Los Angeles has already decided to appoint Darvin Ham.
Ham has worked as an assistant coach forthe Milwaukee Bucks, so this will be a huge step in his career. But it also means an extremely challenging task, as the Purple and Gold have to turn many things around after a disappointing season.
Woj reports that the front office will not only expect Ham to get the Lakers back to the playoffs next season, but that improving Russell Westbrook‘s performances is also among the expectations for the new coach.
Report: Russell Westbrook’s level among Lakers directives for Darvin Ham
The team made a big effort to acquire Brodie last summer, but the outcome was not the expected in his first year. However, a trade seems unlikely and the Lakers are not expected to cut him either, so Ham may haveto make things work between Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis.
(Via ESPN)
“Ham will be charged with returning the Lakers to the postseason after a disastrous 33-49 season that cost Frank Vogel his job. One of Ham’s most important directives: finding a way to incorporate future Hall of Fame guard Russell Westbrook into the franchise’s framework with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It was a significant subject of every Lakers coaching interview in the process, sources said.”
Many believe the Lakers should consider it as a failed experiment and give up on Westbrook. But trading him without giving up first-round picks doesn’t seem possible, and the Lakers cannot get rid of him at all costs.
It may not be an excuse for his poor performances, but it’s true that Westbrook, James, and Davis didn’t share the floor many times. It’s also true thattheir record when playing together wasn’t great either. Even so, it seems that giving it another shot seems the most realistic option right now.